[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 92 (Friday, May 10, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40507-40508]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-10228]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Employment and Training Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Comment Request; 
National Agricultural Workers Survey

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor's (DOL's) Employment and Training 
Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed 
revision for the authority to conduct the information collection 
request (ICR) titled, ``National Agricultural Workers Survey.'' This 
comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce 
paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

DATES: Consideration will be given to all written comments received by 
July 9, 2024.

ADDRESSES: A copy of this ICR with applicable supporting documentation, 
including a description of the likely respondents, proposed frequency 
of response, and estimated total burden, may be obtained free by 
contacting Mr. Daniel Carroll by telephone at 202-693-2795 (this is not 
a toll-free number) or by email at [email protected]. For 
persons with a hearing or speech disability who need assistance to use 
the telephone system, please dial 711 to access telecommunications 
relay services.
    Submit written comments about, or requests for a copy of, this ICR 
by mail or courier to the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and 
Training Administration, Office of Policy Development and Research, 
Room N-5641, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210; by email: 
[email protected]; or by Fax 202-693-2766.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Wayne Gordon by telephone at 202-
693-3179 (this is not a toll-free number) or by email at 
[email protected].
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DOL, as part of continuing efforts to reduce 
paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation 
program to provide the general public and Federal agencies an 
opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing collections of 
information before submitting them to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for final approval. This program helps to ensure requested 
data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and 
financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly 
understood, and the impact of collection requirements can be properly 
assessed.
    The National Agricultural Workers Survey (NAWS) is an employment-
based, annual survey of the demographic, employment, and health 
characteristics of hired crop workers, including those who employers 
hire indirectly through labor contractors. The survey began in 1988. It 
is distinct from other farm labor information sources, such as the 
United States Department of Agriculture's Farm Labor Survey, in that it 
collects information directly from crop workers. Each year the NAWS 
contractor interviews between 1,500 and 3,500 crop workers. The 
contractor interviews crop workers

[[Page 40508]]

three times per year to account for the seasonality of agricultural 
employment. ETA uses NAWS data to estimate each state's share of crop 
workers who are eligible for employment and training services through 
ETA's National Farmworker Jobs Program. Other Federal agencies 
similarly use the survey's data to estimate the number and 
characteristics of crop workers and their dependents who qualify to 
participate in or receive services from various migrant and seasonal 
farmworker programs. The United States Department of Agriculture 
periodically uses NAWS data, along with other data, to estimate changes 
in agricultural productivity.
    ETA is seeking approval to modify a currently approved collection. 
This request is to include H-2A crop workers in the survey population, 
combine separate questions on race and ethnicity into one question, in 
conformance with the new OMB Standard for race and ethnicity, and add 
new questions to the survey on foodborne illness, heat illness, and 
precision agriculture.
    In reference to the job site, questions on foodborne illness will 
gather information on:

 Food safety training and practices
 Use and type of food storage vessels
 Provision of toilets and hand-cleaning facilities
 Occurrence of discharge in the field/open air

    Questions on heat-related illness will gather information on:

 The prevalence and incidence of heat stress
 The prevalence of reporting severe symptoms to the employer
 Heat stress interventions at the job site
 Employer provision of heat-related safety training
 Employer provision of an acclimatization period during 
extremely high temperatures

    A question on precision agriculture will ask about the types of 
technology that crop workers use or interact with at the work site 
while performing agricultural tasks (e.g., GPS-enabled devices, 
internet-enabled devices, task automation).
    The Wagner-Peyser Act, as amended (29 U.S.C. 49f(d) and 49l-2(a)) 
authorizes this information collection.
    This information collection is subject to the PRA. A Federal agency 
generally cannot conduct or sponsor a collection of information, and 
the public is generally not required to respond to an information 
collection, unless it is approved by OMB under the PRA and displays a 
currently valid OMB Control Number. In addition, notwithstanding any 
other provisions of law, no person shall generally be subject to 
penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information that 
does not display a valid Control Number. See 5 CFR 1320.5(a) and 
1320.6.
    Interested parties are encouraged to provide comments to the 
contact shown in the ADDRESSES section. To receive consideration, you 
must provide written comments, which DOL will summarize and include in 
the request for OMB approval of the final ICR. To help ensure 
appropriate consideration, comments should mention OMB Control No. 
1205-0453.
    Submitted comments will also be a matter of public record for this 
ICR and posted on the internet, without redaction. DOL encourages 
commenters not to include personally identifiable information, 
confidential business data, or other sensitive statements/information 
in any comments.
    DOL is particularly interested in comments that:
     Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
     Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology, (e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses).
    Agency: DOL-ETA.
    Type of Review: Revision.
    Title of Collection: National Agricultural Workers Survey.
    Form: Primary Questionnaire.
    OMB Control Number: 1205-0453.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households, Private Sector.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 3,594.
    Frequency: Annual.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 3,594.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 41 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,289 hours.
    Total Estimated Annual Other Cost Burden: $0.

Jos[eacute] Javier Rodr[iacute]guez,
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training, Labor.
[FR Doc. 2024-10228 Filed 5-9-24; 8:45 am]
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